uni'wissen 01-2016_ENG

embodiment of one of these military-political entrepreneurs who cannot claim to have any kind of legitimacy at all as the spokesman of discrimi- nated groups. Thus, the important thing is to know whom you’re dealing with and whom you should be dealing with. Instead of the elusive and often illusory goal of power sharing, a peace treaty should attempt above all else to resolve the causes of the conflict, recommends the political scientist. And it’s not enough to negotiate only with the elites in the capitals and major cities, as is all too often the case. “You need to go down to the local level and take a look at the centuries-old power structures.” Which actors are involved in the peace process? Are they using their authority to promote peaceful coexistence, or are they mobi- lizing the citizens against the state? In large, sparsely populated territorial states like the Central African Republic – where Mehler and his team are currently working on a project with funding from the German Research Foundation (DFG) – the state is often not even in the position to maintain its control over its entire territory. The neglected periphery then develops its own power structures, which do not always observe national borders. Sometimes, like in the northeast of Congo near the border to Ruanda, these areas produce conflicts that can spread to the entire country. The world is currently looking on at horror as the terrorist group Boko Haram commits atrocities in the neglected northeast of Nigeria. This region lacks streets, schools, and hospitals, as Mehler emphasizes, and it is easy to mobilize rebels from among the spreading Salafists. “The significance of peripheries is grossly underesti- mated in peace negotiations.” The state’s monopoly of violence, taken for granted in our society, is not the norm in African societies according to the political scientist’s findings. “The power has always been divided up Many African countries experienced violent conflicts of varying intensity in 2014. Source: Heidelberger Institut für internationale Konfliktforschung, Conflict Barometer 2014 VIOLENT CONFLICTS IN 2014 (NATIONAL LEVEL) INTENSITY WAR LIMITED WAR VIOLENT CRISIS NO VIOLENT CONFLICT VIOLENT CONFLICTS IN 2014 (NATIONAL LEVEL) INTENSITY WAR LIMITED WAR VIOLENT CRISIS NO VIOLENT CONFLICT INTENSITY WAR LIMITED WAR VIOLENT CRISIS NO VIOLENT CONFLICT VIOLENT CONFLICTS IN 2014 (NATION-STATE LEVEL) “The significance of peripheries is grossly underestimated in peace negotiations.” 18 uni wissen 01 2016 18 uni wissen 012016